About half of the states in the U.S. put special conditions or requirements on older drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Renewal procedures for older drivers include accelerated renewal cycles that provide for shorter renewal intervals for drivers older than a specified age, typically 65 or 70; a requirement that they renew their licenses in person rather than electronically or by mail where remote renewal is permitted; and testing that is not routinely required of younger drivers (vision and road tests, for example).

If a person's continued fitness to drive is in doubt, because of the person's appearance or demeanor at renewal or because of a history of crashes or violations, reports by physicians, police, and others, state licensing agencies may require renewal applicants to undergo physical or mental examinations or retake the standard licensing tests (vision, written, and road). States [not all] typically have medical review boards composed of health care professionals who advise on licensing standards and on individual cases in which a person's ability to drive safely is in doubt.

After reviewing a person's fitness to drive, the licensing agency may allow the person to retain the license, refuse to renew the license, or suspend, revoke, or restrict the license. Typical restrictions prohibit nighttime driving, require the vehicle to have additional mirrors, or restrict driving to specified places or a limited radius from the driver's home. Where the renewal cycle is not shorter for older drivers, licensing agencies have the authority to shorten the renewal cycle for individual license holders if their condition warrants.

A group in Massachusetts, Safe Roads Now (could not find a Web site), has asked the state of Massachusetts to require all drivers to make in-person renewals of their licenses. The visit would include vision and other skills tests, and tests of driving knowledge. If the driver (of any age) fails these, he or she might be asked to take a road test.

I would expect this out of Massachusetts. This would be a typical, bigger government program. Sounds good but it not scalable and is very impractical. The costs would be enormous. And there is no scientific proof that an "every 5- or 10-year in-person renewal" will make the roads safer. In other words, will there be fewer accidents per age group than without the in-person renewal program? The study top determine this would be very costly.

There is scientific proof that with age, certain motor, visual and cognitive abilities diminish. The issue is when do people get flagged for extra testing? Just because someone arrives at some age does not mean certain skills have become weaker. However, doing something at the state level (not the federal level, please) to assess an elderly person's fitness to drive is prudent. When someone becomes elderly is the question. I think 65 is too soon, but 70-75 is probably more rreasonable.